I am trying to do the right thing and have heard all the terrible things about aspartame. But I NEED something besides water and tea/ lemonade to drink! Are there any ready made (like Crystal light) drinks out there that use Splenda, Stevia, Truvia, etc.?

I have looked but I can't find Truvia or Stevia in anything. Just the usual artificial sweeteners. (btw, Splenda is an artificial/chemical sweetener too). It's a bummer!

Take what you're reading about aspartame with a grain of salt. People have been trying to blame it for everything from diseases to mental disorders for years but without merit. The majority of what you read is nothing more that debunked theories that have been plaguing the internet since the 90's without merit.

The only thing I do know to be true (via actual research studies) is that artificial sweeteners can actually increase sugar cravings in some people. They can also cause headaches. Some people gain weight using them because of the increased sugar and carb cravings, too.

But...not everyone. Some people can have them without a single issue. The only way to know is to see how they effect your own body. I actually drink a lot of diet iced tea with artificial sweeteners and never have a problem.

Best wishes!

Here are some online: http://www.steviasmart.com/stpodrmipodr.html

You can also find some drinks sweetened with stevia in health food or specialty stores. Zevia is a tasty stevia drink, but it's carbonated, so not really for the sleeve. Check the cooler section of your store. I know I've seen some, I just can't recall names. We shop at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Central Market, and Natural Grocers.

The brand of steevia I've been using lately is called SweetLeaf. It comes in little packets. My main drink is a 32 ounce glass juice bottle filled up almost all the way with Water then topped off with a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice. I've also used black cherry, lemonade, grapefruit juice, etc. When I'm craving a bit of sweet I just add in a little Steevia and it changes it up completely, without doing anything to my blood sugar levels or adding any calories, etc. When I go somewhere I grab one of these bottles out of the fridge -- "red juice" my family calls it. And by getting two in per day I know I'm hitting my 64 ounces. Save a ton of money this way and I like drinking out of glass rather than plastic. By the way, Truvia was developed by Coca-Cola and Cargill so they know which way the wind is turning. And Pepsi has one, too. Important to check ingredients in whatever you get so you are purchasing 100% natural Steevia.